Just a quick reminder for all gardeners out there - our weather's just been insanely hot!!! Before I knew it, I've lost quite a few branches (not the whole plant, thankfully) to the extreme heat. Remember to water!!!
Will be updating all of you on the progress of my tomato plants as well as more tips on how to care for them. Hope you're having a nice cool day in the shade of your plants~~
Sunday, June 17
Sunday, June 3
The Garden is now at Etsy!
I finally managed to get the seedlings organized and they are now available for sale on Etsy! Some of the smaller seedlings are placed in pairs within the pot and the slightly more mature ones are in pots by themselves. I've started two listings for the smaller seedlings.
Hopefully, once I get this started, the other projects such as plant starter kits, wall-deco plants, and terrariums will come easier. Do watch this space for updates~~ Happy gardening on this sunny day.
Hopefully, once I get this started, the other projects such as plant starter kits, wall-deco plants, and terrariums will come easier. Do watch this space for updates~~ Happy gardening on this sunny day.
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| One of the seedling pots available on Etsy |
Thursday, May 24
What counts as organic?
We're all increasingly aware of the endless number of chemicals that can go into our bodies now and with so many food scares, it's no wonder that more people are scrambling to get organic food. But, what exactly counts as organic? Are they just food that has no toxic chemicals? Or is it food specially grown and nurtured in a certain way?
Wikipedia defines organic food as "foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives."
But it really isn't that simple. For those of us who are trying to build a self-sufficient garden, what are some of the things we need to take note?
So in my search for the definition to what counts as organic produce, I tried to focus on details that matter to gardening organic food at home. I came across a couple of really interesting articles. One of them is an article by Andy Hamilton on Organic Container Gardening. Hamilton gives us some advice on the things we can use when trying to grow food in limited space. Using hanging baskets and going vertical helps. He also suggests growing plants that will last and can be harvested over a long time so we don't waste space. Jackie French's Self-sufficiency on a balcony gives us detailed steps on how to build our little self-sufficient garden right on the balcony. Some steps include choosing the right pots, planting the right plants that will eventually yield us enough produce for our salads and daily green intake.
None of the posts went very much into talking about care of the plants - what should we use to keep those pests away? What do we do when our plants grow ill? What kind of fertilizers should we use? In fact, what soil do we plant our food in? And it all relates back to the idea of what defines organic food.
In some of my previous posts, I introduced homemade pesticides and even home composting. For us to move closer to having an organic home-grown food on a scale way way small, I think it's realistic for us to consider making everything, right down to homemade soil/fertilizer. Of course to start, we could simply pay more attention to the products we buy for our garden - is this organic soil? Can we get any natural pesticide? What kinds of fertilizers are chemical-free?
I hope this post has helped us resolve a little more to build our self-sustaining garden, even if we have very limited space. Even if we only care a little for our health and what goes into our bodies, let the harvest be our motivation; the taste of food from our own garden will definitely be worth the effort!
Wikipedia defines organic food as "foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives."
But it really isn't that simple. For those of us who are trying to build a self-sufficient garden, what are some of the things we need to take note?
So in my search for the definition to what counts as organic produce, I tried to focus on details that matter to gardening organic food at home. I came across a couple of really interesting articles. One of them is an article by Andy Hamilton on Organic Container Gardening. Hamilton gives us some advice on the things we can use when trying to grow food in limited space. Using hanging baskets and going vertical helps. He also suggests growing plants that will last and can be harvested over a long time so we don't waste space. Jackie French's Self-sufficiency on a balcony gives us detailed steps on how to build our little self-sufficient garden right on the balcony. Some steps include choosing the right pots, planting the right plants that will eventually yield us enough produce for our salads and daily green intake.
 |
| Perhaps I should consider whether to keep this pandan plant since I hardly ever use it for cooking...? |
None of the posts went very much into talking about care of the plants - what should we use to keep those pests away? What do we do when our plants grow ill? What kind of fertilizers should we use? In fact, what soil do we plant our food in? And it all relates back to the idea of what defines organic food.
In some of my previous posts, I introduced homemade pesticides and even home composting. For us to move closer to having an organic home-grown food on a scale way way small, I think it's realistic for us to consider making everything, right down to homemade soil/fertilizer. Of course to start, we could simply pay more attention to the products we buy for our garden - is this organic soil? Can we get any natural pesticide? What kinds of fertilizers are chemical-free?
I hope this post has helped us resolve a little more to build our self-sustaining garden, even if we have very limited space. Even if we only care a little for our health and what goes into our bodies, let the harvest be our motivation; the taste of food from our own garden will definitely be worth the effort!
The plants give me something to talk about
I've really had loads to talk about these past few days! Just a couple hours of work invested in my single day off and I've had tons of "rewards" since.
Over the past weekend, I had the honour to be the "cake-creator" for my friend's pet dog. One of her requests was for me to include butternut squash in the cake. I had saved the seeds from the Japanese pumpkin we ate the previous week and of course I was really happy to have more seeds. This past Monday, I just dumped the whole lot of seeds into my now designated germinating-pot, expecting very little to sprout and definitely a whole long while before any action takes place.
Imagine my delight when today, I walked out to the balcony and found this:
This has got to be record breaking. In less than two days, these seedlings sprouted. I guess the heat is worth enduring if all my plants are so happy!
On another note, the tomato seedlings are growing really well. Some are bigger than others but you can see that the stems are buffing up and they look really healthy.
The downside about having a little garden on the balcony is, even if the plants are happy now, when they start growing out, I will have no space for them So, do watch this space because I will be posting information on how to get some seedlings from me. You do get to choose the type of seedlings and I will
basically be charging for soil & container. Alternatively, you can choose to follow me on my Facebook space, HDB Greens for more information on how to grab these seedlings.
Let's move a step closer towards self-sufficient living in the comfort of our HDB flats!
Over the past weekend, I had the honour to be the "cake-creator" for my friend's pet dog. One of her requests was for me to include butternut squash in the cake. I had saved the seeds from the Japanese pumpkin we ate the previous week and of course I was really happy to have more seeds. This past Monday, I just dumped the whole lot of seeds into my now designated germinating-pot, expecting very little to sprout and definitely a whole long while before any action takes place.
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| The shameful way I treat the pumpkin & squash seeds - dumped in a pot |
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| Pumpkin seedlings!! |
On another note, the tomato seedlings are growing really well. Some are bigger than others but you can see that the stems are buffing up and they look really healthy.
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| Rapidly growing tomato seedlings |
Let's move a step closer towards self-sufficient living in the comfort of our HDB flats!
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